Vehicles in industrial and public safety applications have had intercom/radio mixer systems for many decades. These systems allow the vehicle users to communicate amongst themselves and also communicate to distant individuals using mobile radio technology. The systems have often incorporated headsets due to loud ambient noise environments inside and outside the vehicle. These systems aim to provide more coherent communication in the vehicle.
Some of these vehicle communication systems utilize headsets. Headsets may introduce some potential drawbacks including the additional time to don the headset, comfort, and restriction of movement. The donning of headsets takes additional time when entering the vehicle. In particular, for public safety workers, every second counts when trying to get as quickly as possible to the scene of an emergency. Even the couple of seconds that it takes to find and don a headset can be distracting and have a negative effect on the outcome of a life threatening situation. Headsets may become uncomfortable depending on the design and length of time that a particular headset is worn. If uncomfortable, crewmembers may decide not to wear the headsets, thereby exposing crewmembers to the inability to effectively communicate over the vehicle radio and amongst fellow crewmembers. Further, some headsets, such as corded headsets, can restrict the movement of a crewmember's head and reduce the ability to move about the interior of a vehicle.
As vehicle, engine, and transmission soundproofing technologies have advanced, the interiors of many industrial and public safety vehicles have become quieter. Despite soundproofing advancements, the interiors of these types of vehicles are still relatively large and are not completely soundproof, and thus are not conducive to easy communication amongst crewmembers. In addition, cabin speakers that broadcast radio traffic inside of the vehicles may have limitations including distortion, difficult placement, and the risk of being too loud.
Thus, it is advantageous to implement an improved vehicle crew communication system that does not require headsets (although headsets may be used with the system), positions speakers closer to crewmembers than traditional cabin speakers, and allows for verbal communication between crewmembers to be easily detected by a microphone and transmitted. In some embodiments, an individual seat system that incorporates speakers and a microphone that is integrated into the overall vehicle communications system constitutes an improved system. Moreover, in embodiments where the speakers and microphone are in close proximity, there is negligible feedback such that the system provides consistent and coherent communications.